I Hate You and There's No Room For Discussion!
by banana
Summary: Chapter 4 is up! L/J love/hate for those of you who didn't know. This is the last chapter, so enjoy!!!!
1. Just Leave Me Alone

A/N This part has Lily fighting with James, and with her on again off again friend Ella. Two huge fights and lots of good comebacks. It focuses on Lily and James and Lily and Ella in this part, with more Sirius and Remus and Kathryn in the next part. L/J love hate as usual, just when you think they're gonna be friends, they fight again! But there is some sort of break through in this part...but this one could be put under humor because its so funny =) Enjoy!  
  
  
"Lily just give me the broom and I will leave you alone." he said calmly, though his eyes were darting frantically between the broom and Lily.  
  
"Nope." Lily said, and she dropped it over the ledge.  
  
James dove at her, pinning her down, and was about to hit her, when he remembered (unwillingly) what his mother had told him. "Never hit girls James..."  
  
"I HATE YOU." he shouted.  
  
"I'm sooo sorry. After you SHAVED MY CATS HAIR OFF, I think you deserved having your broom thrown over the ledge." Lily said scornfully, from her perch on top of the top ledge of Gryffindor Tower.  
  
"YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE!!! You cold hearted bitch!" James said, then, unable to control himself, he wacked her in the arm.  
  
"Didn't your parents ever teach you not to hit girls?" Lily asked calmly, totally ignoring the sting in her arm.  
  
"Sure they did, but then, they've never had to deal with YOU." James said, before storming off into the Gryffindor Common Room.  
  
"That went well." Lily said cheerfully to the crowd that had gathered around them, hopping down and hurrying in after James, making sure he didn't go into her dorm.  
  
"Come to do more damage Evans?" James asked severely.  
  
"Nope, just making sure that YOU don't do any damage. Now that we're even and all."  
  
"I hardly think we're even. Your cats hair'll grow back. Broomsticks like that don't grow on trees." James shot back.  
  
"Technically they do..." Lily started, then trailed off at the murderous look on his face.  
  
"Oh shut up." James shouted. "You always have to have the last word don't you? Can't you just leave me alone?"  
  
Lily's eyes glittered brightly. "No. I can't. Because all you do is torment me. The cat was the last straw."   
  
"And my broomstick--"  
  
"All is fair in love and war." Lily said, cutting him off with a grin.  
  
"You're 14 years old, isn't that a bit IMMATURE?" James asked angrily.  
  
"No. War is war Potter, no matter what age you are." Lily said coldly, making a move to leave.  
  
"Then let the games begin." James said softly enough so she could hear him.  
  
The next morning at 7:00, Lily awakened as usual to the sound of her owl, Lucy, banging against her cage, begging to be let out.  
  
Lily looked over and saw that her two friends, Ella Dubois (pronounced Dew-boyz) who was her friend sometimes...but sometimes she could be a real bitch, and Kathryn Marqois (Mark- oyz), her best friend, rubbing sleep out of their eyes. Both of them were french, and they were cousins (thats why their last names are similar).  
  
Ella opened her stunning silver eyes, and pushed her long black hair out of her face.  
  
"What time is it?" she asked, yawning, as she did every morning.  
  
"You know what time it is you dolt." Kathryn murmurmered, rolling over.  
  
"Time for YOU two to get up." Lily said groggily, picking up a clean towel and heading towards the bathroom.  
  
Kathryn squealed and hopped out of bed, grabbed her towel, and ran towards the bathroom...reaching it before Lily.   
  
"Did you HAVE to do that?" Lily asked, grinning as her friend stuck her tongue out, brown eyes sparkling behind a curtain of chocolate brown hair.  
  
Ella rolled her eyes and hopped out of bed, heading for the prefects bathroom, as she had gotten the password from her 6th year prefect friend.  
  
"ARGH, she takes hours and hours and hours and hours." Lily mumbled, still half asleep, running into the door that was opening as James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin walked in.  
  
They all laughed as she giggled confusedly and grabbed on to Sirius' shirt to keep herself upright.  
  
"Ok I'm guessing you just woke up?" Sirius asked, eyes twinkling.  
  
"Ah huh yup. How did you guess?" she asked, straightening her pajamas and brushing her hair back from her face.  
  
James muttered something, and Lily, not knowing, turned around and went to go kick Kathryn out of the bathroom.  
  
Kathryn came out, grudgingly.  
  
She burst into giggles the minute she saw Lily.  
  
"Lilz...your hair!...its...silver!" she gasped.  
  
"Quite becoming." Sirius put in, hiding a grin.   
  
"Potter. Get the heck out of my bedroom please. I am TRYING to get ready!" Lily exclaimed angrily, knowing exactly who had done it.  
  
"Carry on. Carry on." James said, grinning as she made a very rude gesture indeed in his general direction.  
  
"We're leaving, we're leaving." Sirius said, pushing James out the door, closely followed by a giggling Remus.  
  
Lily hurriedly showered and dressed (still with silver hair...but she thought she looked quite good...for the day anyway), and headed down to the Common Room, where they were all waiting.  
  
"Lets play truth or dare." Kathryn exclaimed once they were all awake.  
  
"Thats gay. But what the heck." James muttered.  
  
"Kathryn, truth or dare?" Ella asked, grinning.  
  
"Truth." Kathryn replied, just to be safe.  
  
"Is it true that you like Roger Davies?" Ella asked, eyes twinkling with delight as she watched her cousin squirm.  
  
"Nope." Kathryn replied truthfully, sneaking a glance at Sirius.  
  
"Ok. James truth or dare?" Kathryn asked him, grinning.  
  
"Dare." James replied, leaning back against the couch.  
  
"I dare you to kiss one of the girls in this common room." Kathryn said brightly.  
  
James stood up, surveyed the room, and walked over to Lily, pulling her to her feet.  
  
"Oh no you don't Pott--"  
  
She was cut off as James put his lips against her for a brief instant.  
  
Lily pulled back as fast as she could and smacked him.  
  
James grinned and Lily rolled her eyes and glared at James. She sniffed and walked towards the stairs.  
  
"You...unimaginable prat!" Lily spat out, before hurrying upstairs...trying to reach the dormitory before she turned as red as her hair usually was.  
  
Kathryn hurried up the stairs after her, being the more comforting of the cousins.  
  
Kathryn was very pretty with chocolate brown hair and deep brown eyes. Not only pretty, but nice, funny, silly, loyal, and she always took Lily's side in fights. But that might just be because Ella was her cousin....  
  
"He went to far this time." she commented, sitting down on the edge of Lily's bed.  
  
"No kidding." Lily said, her voice muffled by her pillow.  
  
"Ella is down there saying that you liked it and you came up here because you didn't want anyone to find out." Kathryn said angrily, glaring at the door as if it was Ella.  
  
"I can't believe her! She's just trying to act cool around Sirius because she loves him sooo much." Lily said, ready to go slap Ella.  
  
"Thats Ella for you. Has to be the center of attention. Every guy likes her but James, Remus and Sirius and she hates that. She seems to think that her life isn't complete until every guy likes her." Kathryn said bitterly.  
  
"Well with HER attitude, its never gonna happen." Lily said angrily.  
  
Just then, the door opened, and in walked: Ella.  
  
"Hey Lily, Kath." She said cheerfully.  
  
"Oh go away." Lily snapped.  
  
"What's HER problem?" she asked Kathryn.  
  
"YOU." Kathryn said, glaring.  
  
By now James, Sirius, and Remus were watching in the entrance of the dorm.  
  
"Jealousy AGAIN Lily? Just because I am prettier then you, (with this she swept back her perfect black hair and slanted her silver eyes at Lily) and all the guys like me, doesn't mean to have to get all snappish." she said snottily, her nose up in the air.  
  
"EXCUSE me? Since when have I been jealous of YOU? Sorry if I don't get down on my knees and bow to you, All mighty bitch queen, but I don't want to get my robes dirty." Lily snapped, eyes flashing.  
  
James and Sirius laughed, but covered it up with a cough when Ella whipped around and glared.  
  
"You're not fit to clean my SHOES Lily! And bitch queen? I think not. That would be you. I am a good deal prettier than you!" Ella said icily.  
  
"Ooo is that supposed to scare me? At least I don't have to wear two tons of make up every morning to feel pretty! You'd be SO much prettier without all that shit you wear on your face. I'd rather feel pretty than inadequate!" Lily shot back.  
  
"Do you know who you're TALKING TO?" Ella asked, spitting with rage.  
  
"Yep. Frosty The Snow Bitch!" Lily snapped.  
  
"I have never...!!! You'll pay for that one! I...and I AM pretty.Prettier then you! I AM!" Ella squealed.  
  
"Excuse me for interupting, but after conferring with Misters Lupin and Black, we've decided that Lily is, in fact, much prettier then you." James put in.  
  
Ella's mouth dropped open into an "O" and she glared.  
  
"GET OUT OF HERE!" she raged.  
  
"Don't tell them what to do!" Lily said, shoving Ella back against the wall.  
  
"CAT FIGHT!" Sirius crowed.  
  
"I can tell them what to do if I want to, half-breed." Ella sneered.  
  
"You little slut!" Lily shrieked.  
  
"WHAT?! WHAT did you just call me? Would you like to say that again?" Ella asked, eyes wide and flashing.  
  
"Yep. I said SLUT." Lily repeated calmly.  
  
Ella reached for Lily's hair, but Lily pulled out of the way quickly.  
  
"OK SPLIT IT UP!" Professor McGonagall shouted severely, coming into the room and bodily pulling the two girls apart.  
  
"She started it." They both said, pointing at each other.  
  
"I don't CARE who started it! I just never want to see it again! 3 detentions for both of you!" McGongall said, walking out.  
  
"Just get the heck out of here." Lily said calmly , once the Professor was out of ear shot.  
  
"Gladly." Ella retorted, stalking out.  
  
"And be sure to use protection when you screw all those guys!" Lily called after her.  
  
The guys were gripping onto the furniture they were laughing so hard.  
  
"Oh that was great. ENCORE!" James said, gasping for breath.  
  
"Oh shut up Potter." Lily replied sourly.  
  
James grinned. His mind started whirling with possibilities....  
  
"Anyone wanna go flying?" he asked "innocently."  
  
"NO." Lily said quickly, at the same time that Kathryn said "YEAH!"  
  
Sirius, knowing what James was gonna do, said "Kathryn, you're doubling with me."  
  
James "groaned." "Aw man, I get stuck with Evans!"   
  
"No. No way am I going out there on a *gulp* broom in the air *gulp* 100 feet into the sky. No no way." Lily stammered.  
  
"Oh come on Lil, it'll be fun!" Kathryn encouraged.  
  
"I--"  
  
James put his hand over her mouth and led her out of the room, Lily protesting the whole way, and Kathryn trying not to laugh.  
  
"You go in front." James said, mounting the broom behind her.  
  
"This is NOT a good idea." Lily said nervously.  
  
"Aw come on. It'll be fine....besides...do you trust me?" he asked hesitantly.  
  
She turned around and looked him in the eye for a minute.  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, I do." she said softly, before leaning back against his chest with her eyes closed tight with fear.  
  
"Then you'll be fine." James felt something inside him stir when she said she trusted him. He didn't know what it was, but he liked it.  
  
"Hang on tight." James said in her ear as he kicked off.  
  
"Am I dead yet?" she asked, opening one eye nervously.  
  
James laughed. Lily felt the vibration of his laughter through his shirt.  
  
"Nope. You're not." James said as he took a dive with the broom stick, causing Lily to squeal and slean further back against his chest. He put his free arm around her waist to make her feel better.  
  
James rather liked it, though he would never admit that to anyone.  
  
After a few more turns, they landed next to Sirius and Kathryn on the Quidditch pitch.  
  
"Erm, Lil, how did you manage to get into THAT position?" Kathryn asked, hiding a grin.  
  
"No idea. All I know is that if james hadn't been behind me I would have fallen over backwards." Lily replied, brushing a strand of her wind blown *silver* hair out of her face.  
  
"Ah James, the way to a womans's heart...save their lives." Sirius said in a mock romantic voice.  
  
"Shut up Sirius." Kathryn said, smacking him in the arm playfully.  
  
Sirius grinned and put his arm around her waist as if it were the most normal thing to do.  
  
Kathryn smiled slightly and gave Lily a hidden thumbs up sign.  
  
James, not knowing what to do with HIS arms, shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked at the dirt with his toe.  
  
Kathryn and Sirius hurried back to the Gryffindor tower for lunch, while Lily and James walked slowly behind.  
  
"Do you really trust me?" James asked.  
  
"Yeah. Unless you've got the Marauders twinkle in your eye." Lily replied, laughing.  
  
James chuckled.  
  
"Are you drunk or high?" Lily asked suddenly.  
  
"No. Why?" James asked, puzzled.  
  
"Because James Potter isn't nice. He's a jerk. Where have you taken him?" Lily asked, smiling up at him.  
  
"Do you miss the jerk?" James asked, playing along.  
  
"No. Not at all." Lily replied, causing James to run after her, Lily giggling all the way.  
  
That afternoon, Kathryn and Lily sat up in their dormitories, painting their nails with wizard polish...it changed colors every 30 seconds.  
  
James, Sirius, and Remus all barged in and plopped themselves on the girls' beds.  
  
"You can sit on my bed if you want." Lily said sarcastically.  
  
"I wonder where Ella is?" Remus said.  
  
"Who cares? Probably off screwing some random guy in a broom closet." Lily said bitterly.  
  
"Easy there tiger." Sirius said, laughing.  
  
Lily grinned and went back to her nails.  
  
"So. What do you guys wanna do?" Kathryn asked, bored.  
  
"I am in the mood for Hogsmeade." James announced.  
  
"Urgh, nope not me." Kathryn said tiredly.  
  
"Me neither." Remus put in.  
  
"I'll go." Sirius shouted. "Gotta stock up at Zonko's."   
  
"I'll go." Lily said, not having any reason to go, but the fact that she felt like it.  
  
"As long as you and James don't kill each other." Sirius said, laughing.  
  
"It'll be hard, but I think I can manage." Lily said, giggling.  
  
"Lets go. Lemme grab my invisibility cloak quick." James said, hurrying over to the boys dorm and pulling the silvery cloak out of his trunk.  
  
Lily and Sirius met him at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Quick, under the cloak." James whispered as Professor McGonagall approached the common room.  
  
Lily scurried under JUST as the Professor walked in the door.  
  
Lily had the strangest urge to laugh, and James could tell, he opened his eyes wide, frightened that they might get caught, and he turned her around and muffled her laughter in his chest.  
  
As soon as Professor McGonagall left the room, they all burst out laughing, Lily still held tightly against James' chest.  
  
He loosened his grip on her, and she had to use him as support while she laughed.  
  
"Ok. I'm. Fine." she said finally, wiping her eyes.  
  
"No you're not." Sirius replied, eyes twinkling with amusement.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Lily asked sharply.  
  
"You have your arms around James Potter. Thats just not like you." Sirius said, finally laughing when he saw the look on her face as she jumped back.  
  
"Urgh. Black...I'm gonna--"  
  
"SHHHH" James said, cutting her off as he started walking towards the portrait to get out.  
  
"Sorry." Lily said sheepishly.  
  
"S'ok." he replied softly, pushing her in front of him and directing her by holding onto her shoulders and pushing her.   
  
There was a crash from overhead and Lily screamed.  
  
"SHHHH!!!" Both boys hissed.  
  
"What. Was. That? And why is the sky so dark?" Lily asked, looking out the window fearfully.  
  
"Storm. Probably busted a window. Thats all." Sirius said comfortingly...or so he thought.  
  
"I hate storms." Lily said, shivering slightly.  
  
"By the time we get through the tunnel into Honeyduke's the storm will be over, we won't even get wet. What, you gonna melt?" James said, eyes dancing.  
  
"And if ya do, you have Jamsie here to warm you up." Sirius said, laughing quietly.  
  
"Oh shut up Sirius." James and Lily whispered at the same time as they reached the One Eyed Witch.  
  
"Dissendium." James muttered, and the witches hump opened up.  
  
James crawled through first, then Sirius, and then Lily hesitated. She had never used this passage before and she was afraid she was going to land on her butt.  
  
"I'll catch you." one of the boys whispered.  
  
Lily nodded to herself, took a deep breath, and jumped.  
  
Sure enough, she was caught easily by Sirius and was set down on her feet.  
  
"You're light Lily." he said, grinning.  
  
"Thanks." she said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Where are we?" she asked.  
  
"Just follow me and everything'll be alright." Sirius said mockingly.  
  
"Scared? Want me to hold your hand?" James asked, sneering.  
  
"No. I'm not scare--" she shrieked as thunder boomed over head.  
  
"Not scared huh?" James asked, laughing so hard he choked.  
  
"I just don't like storms very much." Lily mumbled, clutching onto Sirius as if he could save her.  
  
James kind of wished she was hanging on to him...not that he would ever admit that to anyone.  
  
"Here we are. Just hop up there Lily, we'll come after you." Sirius said.  
  
Lily climbed up easily and slipped through the trap door.  
  
The boys followed her and they all slipped outside into the pouring rain.  
  
"Sure. The rain is gonna be done by the time we reach Honeydukes...I'm going back." Lily said, shivering.  
  
She went up to the door and pulled.  
  
It didn't budge.  
  
"Sirius!." she said loudly, urgently.  
  
"What?" he asked, walking up behind her.  
  
"Its locked! Theres no way back!" she said, scared as the thunder boomed over head.  
  
Sirius, however, had transformed into a dog and slipped through the doggy door and was heading back through the trap door and into Hogwarts.  
  
James and Lily weren't mad...they would have done the same thing if they were him.  
  
"Its freezing." Lily said, now thoroughly soaked.  
  
"No kidding." he replied, glancing at her quickly.  
  
"Hey, there's an overhang there, lets head over there." Lily whispered.  
  
James nodded and guided her over to the over hand through the blinding rain and flashes of lightning.  
  
Lily was shivering uncontrollably in the late November freezing rain, and James noticed this.  
  
"Here, lets both take off our cloaks and have both of them covering both of us up so we have a double layer." James said wisely.  
  
Lily nodded and took off her cloak quickly and threw it over both of them, James did the same.  
  
Lily pulled out her wand and muttered a spell that created a small blue flame in a jar that could keep them semi warm if they put it under their blankets.  
  
Their cloaks weren't too big, so they had to scoot in close to each other to keep warm...neither of them were really aware of how close they really were.  
  
"Lets talk. It'll keep our minds off of how numb we are." James said, lips shaking.  
  
"Um...*shiver* Yule Ball. What do you think they'll do this year?" Lily asked, not knowing what to say.  
  
"Knowing Dumbledore, he'll put mistletoe all over the place." James replied, laughing.  
  
"Hahaha remember last year when Ella and Sirius got caught underneath it? Ella was happy but Sirius looked disgusted. I wish I would have had my camera!" Lily exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah. That was great. Speaking of Yule Ball, you got a date?" James asked carelessly.  
  
"Nah, I turned down Davies the other day. I turned down Kamilton, Smith, Casey, Pettigrew, and get this...SNAPE." Lily said, giggling.  
  
"Snape asked you? What a moron." James exclaimed, laughing at the thought of the greasy haired Slytherin going to a dance with Lily.  
  
"Yeah. I almost threw up. How about you? Got a date?" She asked, laying her head back against the wall, felt uncomfortable, and lifted her head back up.  
  
"Nope. Don't know who I'm gonna ask yet." he replied.  
  
"You better get a move on! Only a couple more weeks." Lily replied, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Lets make a deal. If no one asks you in 2 weeks, and if I don't find someone I wanna ask, we'll go together. K?" James asked.  
  
"Ok." Lily said, not believing that she had just said she would let him be her plan b.  
  
"I need a pillow." Lily groaned.  
  
"Think of Sirius, Kathryn, and Remus. All snuggled up in their nice warm Hogwarts beds, a fire toasting their feet..." James trailed off.  
  
"Argh don't make me homesick. I just want to be warm. Hey...do you know what time it is?" Lily asked hopefully.  
  
"Yep. We left the tower at 5:00...and right now its 7:00. They must have closed shop because of the storm." James said quietly.  
  
"I wish I knew of someplace warm that we could get into from here." Lily complained.  
  
"Lily! You're a genius! The Shrieking Shack!" James exclaimed.  
  
Lily stared up at him like he was crazy.  
  
"WHAT?!"   
  
"Come on. Trust me." James said, grabbing her hand.  
  
"You'll have a lot of explaining to do when we get attacked!" Lily moaned, but let herself be dragged into the warm little shack.  
  
James plopped himself down on the torn up matress.  
  
"And you're not afraid of this place?" Lily asked, looking around nervously.  
  
James sat up.  
  
"Nope. Promise you can keep a secret?" he asked.  
  
Lily nodded.  
  
"You know Remus is a werewolf."   
  
"Yeah, I've known that for a while now." Lily replied, wondering what the Shrieking Shack had to do with Remus' being a werewolf.  
  
"This is where he goes to transform every month. Dumbledore just encourages the town folks when they say its haunted...he doesn't want them to know." James said.  
  
"Oh." Was all Lily could say.  
  
"Yeah, and full moon isn't for 3 days, so you can sleep safely Miss Evans." James said, grinning.  
  
Lily smiled hesitantly back.  
  
"I get the bed." she said quickly before he layed down.  
  
He made a face.  
  
"FINE. Gimme that blanket and I'll sleep on the couch." He said.  
  
She handed him the blanket, hung her cloak up to dry, and snuggled under the covers, falling asleep almost as soon as her *blonde* head hit the pillow.  
  
A/N ok thats the first part...don't worry, they don't love each other yet...they were only civil and nice because they had only each other for company...the next part will be funnier, and more of Kathryn and Sirius in the next part. Please Review and tell me what ya think! Thanks!  
  



	2. 

  
The next morning, when James and Lily were both awake, they  
headed back towards the Hogwarts grounds via the underground  
tunnel that leads from the Shrieking Shack.  
  
"Why didn't we simply use an unlocking charm?" Lily asked,  
slapping her hand against her head.  
  
"Oh yeah, like that would work. If thats all it took, then ANYONE  
could break in an steal stuff. They have regular muggle locks and  
a bunch of hard spells keeping it closed to stuff like that."  
James said wisely.  
  
"Oh shut up. I didn't think of that." Lily shot back.  
  
"Thats obvious. But, you act like a blonde...what can we expect?" James   
asked, returning to his evil, sarcastic self.  
  
"Argh you're impossible!" Lily exclaimed, wacking him in the arm.  
  
"Ow. What was that for?" James asked, rubbing his arm.  
  
"For being you!" Lily exclaimed, stomping off ahead of him and reaching   
the Castle first.  
  
She hurried down the familiar hallways and rushed into the Gryffindor   
Common Room where Kathryn, Sirius, Remus, Ella, and Peter were all   
seated.  
  
"Where have you been?!" Kathryn exclaimed, rushing over to Lily.  
  
"Got stuck in Hogsmeade." Lily said simply.  
  
"You don't look to happy." Kathryn commented, seeing the disgruntled   
look on her best friend's face.  
  
"Yeah, well, I was with Potter...what can you expect?" Lily asked   
darkly, glaring as James approached.  
  
"Aren't you just a bright little ray of sunshine." James said,   
laughing.  
  
"Shut up Potter." Lily muttered.  
  
"Shut up? Is that all you could come up with? I think Evans is losing   
her touch." James said mockingly.  
  
"JAMES JUST DROP IT!!!" Lily shrieked.  
  
"Why should I? You started it by being stupid outside." James retorted.  
  
"Thats real mature. YOU ARE SUCH A STUPID GIT! Can't you just leave me   
alone? I was with you for almost 24 hours and now I am SICK OF YOU."   
Lily shot back, eyes shining brightly.  
  
"Ah yes, but I recall talking to you civilly for about 3 hours last   
night...weren't you sick of me then?" he asked, eyes twinkling with   
amusement.  
  
"There was no one else to talk to. Besides, you were being NORMAL   
then." Lily said impatiently.  
  
"Oh yes. Normal. And what, pray tell us, is YOUR definition of normal?"   
James asked, amusement clear on his face.  
  
"Argh. Someone that is kind, thoughtful, funny, serious when they need   
to be, caring. THATS what normal is. And right now, you are NOT being   
normal." she said exasperatedly.  
  
"Are you saying I was normal last night?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Yes. I mean no. I mean I DON'T KNOW. Stop asking me questions! You're   
making my head hurt." She complained.  
  
"Does thinking really hurt your head that much Evans?" James asked,   
bursting into laughter.  
  
"You're IMPOSSIBLE James Potter!" Lily shouted, before rushing up the   
stairs to her dormitory with Kathryn at her heels.  
  
"Thanks!" He shouted at her retreating back.  
  
Lily slammed her door.  
  
"Urgh. He was really nice last night. I almost could have been his   
friend. But then he blows it by being a complete and total jerk...as   
usual." Lily said angrily.  
  
"Really? He was nice to you?" Kathryn asked, amazed at the thought.  
  
"Yeah! He was being funny and we talked about the Yule Ball..." Lily   
trailed off, thinking about their promise to go with each other if they   
didn't have dates in two weeks.  
  
She groaned and put her head in her pillow.  
  
"Whats wrong?" Kathryn asked.  
  
"Nothing. I'll tell you later k kath? I just need to sleep right now."   
Lily said sleepily.  
  
"Ok. I'll be in the Common Room if you need me." Kathryn said kindly,   
before walking out into the Common Room.  
  
"Thanks." Lily mumbled as she fell into a peaceful sleep.  
  
She woke with a start 3 hours later, when the distinct sound of a   
Filibuster Wet Start No Heat fire cracker went off in the Common Room.  
  
She muttered a swear word under her breath, got up and brushed her   
hair, and hurried down into the common room to see what all the fuss   
was about.  
  
"HAHAHA OH WOW I got him good!" Sirius howled.  
  
"Whats going on?" Lily whispered to Kathryn.  
  
"Sirius just flicked a filibuster firework at James...flung it right at   
him with a spoon." Kathryn whispered back.  
  
"SIRIUS!!! GEEEZE! You're gonna pay for that one!" James exclaimed,   
laughing and running after Sirius, chasing him out of the room.  
  
"Its your birthday tomorrow! I can't believe you're already gonna be   
15!" Kathryn exclaimed.  
  
"I know! I am so excited. My mom said that she would get me something   
good...what time is it? I'm starving." Lily commented.  
  
"Um...6:30." Kathryn said, glancing at her watch.  
  
"Oh wow. No wonder. Lets head down and eat." Lily said, hurrying out.  
  
After a quick supper and a long pillow fight with the boys in the common   
room, Lily and Kathryn headed up to bed.  
  
The next morning, Lily woke up with 4 tightly wrapped parcels at her   
feet.  
  
She grinned, grabbed them all, then hurried down to the Common Room so   
that she could open them with her friends.  
  
They were all sitting, talking quietly, and they grinned when she walked   
in.  
  
"Open mine first!" Kathryn said excitedly.  
  
Lily obliged, finding a silver wrapped parcel from Kathryn.  
  
She took off the card and read it. It said:  
  
Lily- I cannot believe you are already 15! The present took me FOREVER   
to find, but I found it! I hope you like it. Happy Birthday!  
Kathryn  
P.S Who are you going with to the Yule Ball?  
  
Lily grinned and tore off the wrapping paper, revealing an ornate silver   
box (obviously very expensive) and a key tumbled out of the wrapping.   
Lily picked up the key and slowly unlocked the box.  
  
Inside, was a small card, telling her that she could keep her most   
special things in this box, and that it magically expanded if you needed   
more room...but still looked the same size on the outside. (A/N Much   
like the Weasley's car in book 3)  
  
"Thank you so much Kathryn! This is soooo cool! You're the best!" Lily   
squealed, throwing her arms around her friend.  
  
"Well hurry up and open the rest of them!" Sirius complained.  
  
Lily smiled and reached for the brown parcel on the bottom of the pile.  
  
Lily opened the card and read.  
  
Lily- You probably weren't expecting anything from me, but I saw this in   
the window of a shop and I figured you could wear it at Yule Ball. Sorry   
for being a jerk.  
J  
P.S That promise we made in Hogsmeade still goes. 2 weeks...  
  
Lily smiled and opened the parcel.  
  
She gasped.  
  
Inside a small jewelry box, was the most magnificent thing she had ever   
seen.  
  
It was a necklace with a fine silver chain...and the center piece was a   
lily. A white diamond Lily with a yellow diamond center. It was   
beautiful.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" Lily breathed.  
  
"Who's it from? I bet that cost BIG bucks Lily." Kathryn said, in awe   
over her shoulder.  
  
"Oh. Um...I dunno." Lily lied, quickly shoving the card in the pocket of   
her robes.  
  
Mentally she reminded herself that she had to thank James later for the   
gift...he was at Quidditch Practice.  
  
Next, Lily opened the box that she knew was from Sirius and   
Remus...because it had FROM SIRIUS AND REMUS written all over it in lime   
green ink.  
  
Lily grinned and ripped it open.  
  
Inside was a broom servicing kit for her Nimbus 901...the best broom   
available.  
  
"Thank you so much you guys! This is the best!" Lily exclaimed, rushing   
over to hug both of them.  
  
"Yeah Well." they both mumbled, embarassed.  
  
She lifted the last package, from her mother, and opened it quickly.  
  
Inside was a birthday cake, a set of emerald green silk robes (for the   
yule ball dear, her mother had said in the card) and a hair   
kit...complete with extensions, all sorts of dyes, a highlighting kit,   
scrunchies, pony tail holders, butterfly clips, and Lily's   
favorite...small glittery silver clips.  
  
Lily grinned at the jealous look on Kathryn's face.  
  
"we'll go upstairs and use it later. You too." she said kindly.  
  
Kathryn smiled.  
  
"You're the best."  
  
"I know." she said, thanking everyone one more time, and thanking God   
that it was Thanksgiving break so there were no classes.  
  
"Come on Kat." she called, hurrying up the stairs and blowing kisses to   
Sirius and Remus, who were off to find James.  
  
Kathryn joined her and they went through the kit, carefully picking   
colors that they would like to use.  
  
Lily chose a Honey Blonde color (she was SICK of being called flame head   
and carrot head!), and some bleach blonde highlights.  
  
Kathryn, not wanting to completely change her hair color, chose some   
auburn highlights for her chocolate brown hair.  
  
The two girls giggled and headed for the bathroom, where they spent the   
rest of the morning dying their hair.  
  
When they were done, they both exclaimed over how good the other looked.  
  
"Lily you look awesome as a blonde! And those highlights kick butt!"   
kathryn exclaimed for the thousandth time.  
  
"Thanks. The red highlights are AWESOME." Lily said, charming her   
eyebrows so that they were honey blonde, like her hair.  
  
Lily quickly brushed her layered hair (now that its blonde, I imagine it   
looking exactly like Tara Reid's...) that was down to the middle of her   
back, (Yeah. Imagine Tara Reid's hair when you think of Lily's) and   
hurried out of the dorm, Kathryn at her heels, ready to go eat lunch   
with their new do's.  
  
Lily and Kathryn entered to many wolf whistles and cat calls from the   
whole male population, and they hurried to their seats with the guys.  
  
"Hiya Flame Hea--whoa." James said, cutting off his name calling when he   
saw her.  
  
"Hello Potter, Remus, Sirius." Lily said happily, plopping down in her   
seat.  
  
"Hey Lil. Nice do. You look good as a blonde." Sirius commented, looking   
up from his food.  
  
Remus nodded his head in agreement, giving her a thumbs up through a   
mouthful of food.  
  
Ella plopped down next to Lily.  
  
"Look Lily. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude. Its just, ya know, I   
get soooo carried away." she said.  
  
"Its ok." she said. I guess....she added to her self.  
  
"Oh my gosh, all of the girls at ravenclaw were JUST talking about you.   
They all were talking about how great you look with blonde hair and how   
cool it was that I was friends with you." Ella said, in gossip mode.   
(A/N imagine Ella having a valley girl voice...)  
  
So THATS why she wanted to make up with me. Lily thought amusedly.  
  
"Jessica was like "oh my gosh look!" and I was like "what?" and she was   
like "look at Lily's awesome hair. I wish I had highlights like that."   
and I was like "yeah I know, she looks way cool" and she was like "no   
kidding" Lily isn't that just the coolest? Jessica is sooo popular and   
she called you awesome! Don't you feel awesome?" Ella asked, talking   
fast, as always.  
  
Lily and Kathryn grinned at each other when they saw the boys baffled   
expressions...they hadn't understood a WORD Ella had just said. She was   
talking to fast for their guy minds to comprehend what she was saying.  
  
"Yeah. Thats cool Ella." Lily said absently.  
  
"Ella, know what day it is?" Kathryn asked her cousin, brown eyes   
sparkling.  
  
"Oh. Um. Monday? Or is it Tuesday?" Ella asked stupidly, then   
comprehension dawned in her shallow eyes. "Oh. Oh my gosh. Its Lily's   
b-day! That is totally awesome. Go Lily. Its Your Birthday. Its Your   
Birthday."  
  
Lily giggled, so did Kathryn.  
  
This was Ella for you.  
  
"So, Lily, I heard you got like, a fab hair kit from your ma, do you   
think I could use some highlights or something?" Ella asked, batting her   
fake eyelashes.  
  
"Sure why not." Lily said dryly, knowing that Ella was attached to   
ANYONE with something new.  
  
Ella was fun none the less...listening to her talk was always a laugh.   
Lily would rather be friends with her then fight, so Ella was allowed   
back into the circle of friends.  
  
The next few weeks passed by in a blur of dance invitations and pranks   
and fights for Lily...all too soon came the Yule Ball...with James.  
  
Kathryn was going with Sirius and Ella was going with Lucius Malfoy.   
Remus was going with Maria Costello...a pretty spanish girl with black   
hair, brown eyes, and tan looking skin.  
  
The three girls hurried up to their dorm to get ready.  
  
Lily pulled her emerald green silk robes out of the box her mother had   
sent them in, and she slipped them on carefully.  
  
She examined herself in the mirror.  
  
She looked gorgeous.  
  
Lily was contemplating what to do with her hair when Kathryn rushed in,   
scurrying around trying to find her dress robes.  
  
As quickly as she had come, she ran out, cursing under her breath.  
  
Lily grinned.  
  
Back to her hair...she decided just to put it into spiral curls...it   
always looked really good on her, and she wanted to leave it down to show   
off the new color.  
  
After that was taken care of, she applied a light touch of silvery   
eyeshadow and some mascara to bring out her eyes. She put on some lip   
gloss and slid the gloss into her pocket just in case.  
  
She slipped into her shoes...chunky platform sandals with criss crossing   
straps...they too were emerald green.  
  
She stepped out of the bathroom and prepared herself for Kathryn and   
Ella's scrutiny on how she looked.  
  
"Lily you look so awesome! How'd you do your hair like that?" Kathryn   
asked, looking her friend up and down with envy.  
  
"Um Curlers." Lily replied, laughing.  
  
"Lily you look fab. Love the hair. Those robes are awesome...where'd you   
get the shoes?" Ella asked jealously.  
  
Kathryn herself had changed into some deep peach robes...a slippery   
fabric, but not quite silk. Since she had the dark hair and eyes, the   
peach made her skin take on a certain glow....she had never looked   
better. Her hair was piled elegantly on top of her head with one tendril   
on each side left out to frame her face.  
  
Ella, feeling that she had to out do the others, had bought a 3 piece   
robe set. The bottom layer was gauzy, then you put the next layer (silk)   
on top of the first, and then you put the last gauzy/glittery part on top   
of the rest, so it poofed out around her legs. She had on way too much   
eye make-up (as usual) and a mocha colored lipstick on. Her hair fell   
down her back in smooth inky black waves that ended in ringlets. She   
looked pretty, but not for a school dance. She had gone overboard, making   
her look like a little girl dressing up in her mothers old clothes.  
  
"Kath you look awesome! That color is so pretty on you!" Lily and Ella   
exclaimed to Kathryn.  
  
"Ella you look...*cough* grown up." Kathryn said, not unkindly, to her   
cousin.  
  
"I know I do." Ella said snootily.  
  
"Yeah, you look...different when you dress up like that." Lily said,   
trying not to be mean.  
  
Ella nodded haughtily and flounced out of the room in search of her date.  
  
Kathryn and Lily burst into giggles once she was out of earshot.  
  
"She looked like..like a really dressed up prostitute." Kathryn said,   
still giggling.  
  
Lily shrieked with laughter at this, and had to grab onto Kathryn to keep   
from falling over.  
  
There was a knock on the door, and both girls quickly composed   
themselves...or they tried to anyway.  
  
Kathryn answered the door, because Lily had run back to the bathroom to   
put on her necklace from James. It twinkled merrily in the light.  
  
Lily hurried over to the door, where Sirius and James were waiting.  
  
James' eyes widened when he saw her, but he didn't say anything until she   
had her hand on his arm.  
  
"You look fabulous. I'm glad I didn't get a chance to ask anyone else   
cause I think I'll have the prettiest girl there tonight." he whispered   
in her ear.  
  
Lily looked up at him in surprise and kissed him quickly on the cheek.  
  
"Thats the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me."  
  
James blushed and they hurried over to where their friends were staring   
at them, having seen Lily kiss him on the cheek.  
  
"Is there something you two aren't telling us?" Sirius asked, raising an   
eyebrow.  
  
"Oh yeah Sirius. We've been dating." James said, rolling his eyes   
sarcastically.  
  
Kathryn giggled and gave Lily a look that said "you better tell me   
later."  
  
Lily rolled her eyes and turned back to her "date", determined to be nice   
at least for the evening.  
  
James himself was wearing scarlet robes...Gryffindor colors. All of the   
Quidditch team was.  
  
James led her into the Great Hall that had been brightly lit and covered in   
tinsle, with vanishing mistletoe popping up all over the place.  
  
Kathryn tapped Lily on the arm, smirking.  
  
"Better start praying that the mistletoe doesn't land over you two. It   
screams that you have to kiss when it lands over you. It follows you around   
until you do." she said, laughing.  
  
"Oh crap." Lily said softly.  
  
Kathryn was about to say something, but Sirius pulled her on to the Dance   
Floor.  
  
"Wanna dance?" James asked, suddenly feeling awkward.  
  
"Yeah. Sure." Lily replied, allowing him to take her hand and lead her out   
onto the dance floor, where a slow song was starting off the dance.  
  
James placed his hands lightly on her hips, and she put her hands on his   
shoulders and they started to sway with the music.  
  
"Look at Sirius and Kathryn." Lily said quietly, looking over at her   
friend.  
  
They were dancing so close that it was hard to distinguish who was who.  
  
James laughed.  
  
"He's liked her for forever you know."  
  
"Really? He never acted like it." Lily replied, smiling still.  
  
"KISS!!! KISS EACH OTHER!!!" The mistletoe screamed to Kathryn and Sirius,   
about 20 feet away from James and Lily.  
  
Lily burst out laughing, and Kathryn blushed crimson, but obliged, lightly   
kissing Sirius.  
  
They all clapped and went back to dancing.  
  
"How humiliating." Lily said, half sympathetic, and half amused.  
  
"Erm. Lets move." James said quickly.  
  
"What? Why?" Lily asked, moving as she talked.  
  
"Mistletoe. Thats all I have to say." he replied.  
  
They both burst out laughing, running all the way across the gym with the   
mistletoe chasing them.  
  
Finally the Mistletoe lost them in the crowd.  
  
They danced a bit more (bickering the whole time), and finally things got   
interesting.  
  
"Mind if I go dance with Miranda?" James asked.  
  
"Whatever. Don't care." Lily mumbled.  
  
"You sure."  
  
"I said I didn't care didn't I?" she snapped.  
  
"Jeeze. Can't you be like other girls and be polite?" James asked, brow   
furrowed.  
  
"No. Sorry I can't. I'm me and if you have a problem with that, GO." she   
shot back.  
  
"Lily don't make a scene." James hissed as people started to look over at   
them.  
  
"Why not? You basically asked me if you could ditch me. You just don't get   
it do you Potter?" Lily said softly, turning on her heel and running back up   
to the Gryffindor Common Room.  
  
James brushed past the curious onlookers and followed her up to the tower.  
  
"Hi." he said softly, seating himself next to her.  
  
She quickly wiped her eyes, not knowing why she was crying.  
  
"Why'd you follow me?" she asked, voice trembling a bit.  
  
"Because I don't understand whats going on with you." he replied logically.  
  
"And I was worried." he added.  
  
She raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Worried?" she repeated.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Look, James. Go back down there and hang out with Miranda. Its not gonna   
work. And I really don't feel like dancing anyway." she said softly,   
standing up to leave.  
  
"I'm sorry I--"  
  
"Its ok. Its not your fault. Sorry I blew up at you. I had fun until I lost   
it." she said with a feeble grin, pushing a strand of her blonde hair out of   
her eyes.  
  
"I wanted to try to be friends." he said quickly, his face serious.  
  
"It doesn't really work with us. I tried. I really did. Lets just go back to   
the way things were." Lily said, running upstairs into her dorm, slamming   
the door before he could say anything else.  
  
James wearily climbed the stairs to his dorm, he didn't feel like going back   
to the dance.  
  
He changed into his regular robes and walked over to the girls dorms, not   
knowing why.  
  
He knocked quietly, and hearing no answer, he poked his head in.  
  
She was fast asleep in her pajamas on top of her covers, her face streaked   
with tears.  
  
James, not knowing why, walked over to her bed, lifted her up, and put her   
underneath her covers. He watched her sleep for a moment and then he walked   
out, his hands in his pockets.  
  
Little did he know, Kathryn had seen this whole exchange.  
  
The next morning, Lily was just as ornery as ever.  
  
"Morning Kath, Morning El, morning Re, morning Siri, morning Potter." Lily   
said, glowering as she said the last name.  
  
"You are my sunshine my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are   
gray. You'll never know dear how much I love you. Please don't take my   
sunshine away." James sung sarcastically.  
  
"Quit lying James." Sirius said, laughing.  
  
Lily shot a rubber band at James, hitting him right between the eyes.  
  
"HOLY SHIT THAT HURT!" James said, clutching his forehead.  
  
When he took his hands away, there was a bright red mark in the shape ofan s   
on it.  
  
He picked up the rubber band flung it back at her. She ducked and it missed   
her and hit Sirius.  
  
Sirius howled and jumped at James, knocking him over.  
  
Soon a full fledged wrestling match was going on between James and   
Sirius...Remus was the referee.  
  
When Sirius had officially won the match, James stood up, brushed himself   
off, and walked over to Lily and Kathryn.  
  
"Thanks for waking me up then ya dumb blonde." James said angrily.  
  
"WHAT!!! You...you...POOPHEAD." Lily said, searching for a comeback.  
  
James burst out laughing.  
  
"Ooo that hurt. That stung. My feelings are officially injured." he said   
when he had recovered.  
  
"Go to HELL-o Professor McGonagall." Lily said, making her hell a hello as   
the professor walked in.  
  
"Good morning Lily." the Professor said, eyeing Lily and James suspiciously   
before disappearing into her office.  
  
james was gasping for air he was laughing so hard.  
  
Lily, furious, walked over and kicked him directly in the gut, causing him   
to double over in pain.  
  
Lily flipped her hair casually and walked out.  
  
A/N Like it? Love, hate, like, hate, despise. thats my storyline. lol ok   
please r/r!


	3. Secrets Secrets Are No Fun...

  


> A/N Ok, they are gonna get together, kinda, but trouble interupts them. You'll see.  
  

>
>> That day, their first class was Potions with Professor Silvernoggle...the most ornery teacher at Hogwarts.  
  
"Today we are going to be making a simple Sleeping Draught---Mr. Potter WHAT do you think you are doing?" she asked sternly, glaring at James, who had just been getting ready to fling a rubber band at Lily.  
  
"Nothing." he said, shooting it off even as he said it.  
  
Lily whipped around after it hit her, and she pulled something out of her bag.  
  
Soon she had flung five or six multi colored bands at James, each hitting him with a loud SNAP.  
  
"Both of you! Dumbledore's office NOW!" the teacher shouted, nostrils flaring.  
  
Snape, a greasy haired Slytherin snickered.  
  
"Aw shut up Snape, ya grease ball." Lily said in response to his laughter.  
  
Snape blushed and ducked his head, but not before saying, "Stupid Mudblood."  
  
Lily jumped out of her seat and hurried over to where Snape was, seething.  
  
"If you ever say that again, I'll make you drink a vial of your hair juice." she said, eyes dancing.  
  
The whole class laughed, and the stern Mrs. Silvernoggle was even hiding a smile.  
  
Lily sauntered out of the class.  
  
"Personal Hygiene is a GOOD thing Snape." she shouted as she slammed the door as hard as she could.  
  
James was doubled over laughing in the middle of the hallway.  
  
"What're you laughing at?" she snapped.  
  
"Gotta hand it to ya. Nice comebacks." he said, giving her a high five.  
  
Lily grinned and they walked slowly to Dumbledore's office, tossing insults the whole way.  
  

> 
>   
When they reached the door, Lily looked at James, who knew the password since he had been there so many times.  
"Flower Pot." he muttered, and the door sprang open.  
  
Dumbledore saw them approaching and his eyes twinkled.  
  
"I'd say a detention should do it, eh Mr. Potter?" he said promptly, before they even sat down.  
  
"Sounds good." James said, grinning.  
  
"Meet with Mr. Filch at 9:00 tonight. And Ms. Evans, I need to speak to you for a minute." Dumbeldore replied.  
  
"Ok. James, wait for me outside ok?" Lily said, sitting down on the edge of a chair.  
  
"Alright. Have fun." James said, before disappearing out the door.  
  
"I have two sentences for you: Give him a chance. You'll be glad you did." Dumbledore said, before shooing her out of his office.  
  
Lily hurried out and ran right into James.  
  
"Hello." he said casually.  
  
"Fancy meeting you here." she said with a grin.  
  
"I just couldn't wait to see your lovely face again." James said with granduer.  
  
Lily giggled.  
  
"I say we ditch Potions and head up to the Common Room for a game of Exploding Snap." James said, shoving his hands in his pockets.  
  
"Sounds good. One more comment from Professor Silvernoggle and I would have had to hit her." Lily said, walking along beside him.  
  
"Sometimes you're not so bad, Evans." James said after a moment.  
  
"Gee, thanks." Lily said sarcastically, flashing him a quick smile.  
  
James smiled back.  
  
They fell into awkward silence, still heading towards the common room.  
  
When they got there, Lily flopped onto her bean bag and set up Exploding Snap (they enjoyed calling it Exploding SNAPE).  
  
After a couple of rounds, Lily went upstairs to change while James set up the next game.  
  
She took off her annoying robes and pulled on a pair of baggy gray drawstring pants that were made out of a sweatshirt type material, and a multi colored halter top (pink, orange, yellow) that stopped about an inch above her belly button.  
  
She put a ponytail holder around her wrist, just in case, and then she bounded back down the stairs to play.  
  
James looked up, his gaze flickered briefly over her outfit, and then he quickly turned back to the game.  
  
"Tie breaker." he said solemnly, as if they were going into battle.  
  
"So serious." Lily said, eyes twinkling merrily.  
  
"Yes. Yes it is. If I win, I can brag for forever and ever about how I beat Evans." James said dreamily, as if this was all he thought about.  
  
"Ah yes. And if I win, I get the satisfaction of knowing that I am still better then you." Lily replied in the same tone of voice, before giggling.  
  
"Why do girls giggle so much?" James asked, dealing out the cards.  
  
"I dunno. Why do boys grunt so much?" Lily asked on the same level.  
  
"I dunno. Its a guy thing. But why do girls giggle?"   
  
"Its a girl thing." she replied evenly, causing him to shake his head and smile.  
  
Lily pulled her hair into a messy bun at the base of her neck and made her move.  
  
"You do realize that we are now missing Transfiguration too." he commented casually, eyeing his cards.  
  
"I can afford to miss a day." she replied. Then, "but YOU on the other hand, can't." she added.  
  
James groaned.  
  
"I'll go if you go. Who cares if we're a bit late?" Lily said, standing up and laying down her last card at the same time.  
  
"I win!" she shouted, as James' cards exploded.  
  
"Arghhhh." he said, standing up.  
  
"Lets go." she said, picking up her books.  
  
"Aren't you going to change into your robes?" he asked curiously.  
  
"Nah, I can't wait to see what McGonagall says when she sees me though. She'll say 'Lily showing your stomach is NOT the way to get attention.'" Lily said, imitating Professor McGonagall perfectly.  
  
"Ah she's just jealous." James replied, laughing, as they walked out of the portrait hole and down the hallway to the Transfiguration room.  
  
"And now, we make our entrance." Lily said in a stage whisper.  
  
He opened the door dramatically, bowing her in.  
  
Lily curtsied (as best she could in pants) and they walked slowly and deliberately to their table.  
  
"Ms. Evans, those clothes are NOT appropriate for my class. Showing your stomach is NOT the way to get attention." she said.  
  
James looked over at Lily who mouthed "Told ya she'd say that."  
  
He laughed.  
  
McGonagall gave him a glare.  
  
"Where, may I ask, have YOU two been?" McGonagall asked severely, giving them a look that would have made anyone else cower in fright.  
  
"We got lost. Damn vanishing stair cases." James replied.  
  
"Language Mr. Potter! And where, pray tell, was this 'damn vanishing stair case'?" she asked, causing the whole class to laugh.  
  
"Right through the damn door and down the damn hallway." Lily said, laughing.  
  
Professor McGonagall frowned, but her eyes twinkled as the class laughed merrily.  
  
"I see. One detention each, and please watch your language." she said, pointing them to their tables.  
  
"I think she means 'Watch your damn language.' " Sirius said loudly, causing ever one else to snicker.  
  
Lily and James slid into their seats.  
  
Kathryn leaned over and whispered in Lily's ear.  
  
"Nice entrance...and love the outfit. Way cute!"  
  
Lily grinned and took out her Transfiguration book and turned to the page that the Professor was writing on the board.  
  
That lesson, they transfigured their books into pigs, which was quite easy for Lily, though she had to help James quite a bit.  
  
When the bell rang, they all hurried out the door and to the Great Hall, where lunch was being served on the usual gold plates and goblets.  
  
"Kath you didn't save enough spots!" Lily groaned, seeing that there was no where for her to sit.  
  
"I guess that means you'll have to sit somewhere else." James said, a little too brightly.  
  
"Oh no it doesn't." Lily said, striding over and deliberately seating herself in James' lap.  
  
James' eyes opened wide, astonished, then he grinned and put his arms around her waist, Lily squirming the whole time.  
  
"Argh, Potter get your hands off me." Lily grumbled.  
  
"Argh, Evans get your butt off my lap." James replied amiably, eyes twinkling with laughter.  
  
Lily ignored him and filled her plate with salad and she started to eat.  
  
"Is that all you're gonna eat?" James asked, eyeing her plate with distaste.  
  
"Yep. I had a humongous breakfast and I'm not hungry." she replied, spearing a leaf of lettuce with her fork and placing it delicately in her mouth.  
  
After they had both finished eating their main courses, James spoke up.  
  
"You're not even gonna have a piece of the cheesecake?!" James asked, as if this was the most terrible thing in the world.  
  
"Hmm...nah, I'll just have a bite of yours." Lily replied, cutting a small amount of his cheesecake onto her fork.  
  
"Yes, of course you can have my cheesecake." James said sarcastically.  
  
"Why thank you." Lily replied, laughing.  
  
Neither of them noticed that Sirius, Remus, Kathryn, and Ella had been watching them throughout the whole meal, hardly eating anything themselves. They were astonished.  
  
When everyone was finished, they sat in silence, waiting to be dismissed.  
  
The bell rang and they all jumped up, hurrying to their Common Rooms for their free hour that they had after lunch on Tuesdays.  
  
"What do you guys want to do?" Kathryn asked, bored already.  
  
"Sleep." Sirius replied, yawning.  
  
"Christmas Vacation in 2 days." Lily said glumly.  
  
"And why is this a bad thing?" Kathryn asked curiously.  
  
"I'll probably be the only person staying here over break." Lily grumbled.  
  
"No. I'll be here." James said, speaking up for the first time since lunch.  
  
"Oh joy." Lily said, winking at him.  
  
He grinned.  
  
"The best Christmas present ever...2 weeks alone with Evans." James said, only half joking.  
  
"Are you a compulsive liar or something?" Lily asked, grinning widely.  
  
"No." he replied, throwing a wad of paper at her.  
  
"That was a lie." she said, throwing it back.  
  
"Then I guess I am."   
  
"How can I know if you're lying or not?" she asked, laughing.  
  
"You can't."   
  
"You're lying." she said, now gasping for breath.  
  
Sirius and Kathryn were watching the exchange with amusement, Kathryn giggling along with Lily.  
  
The next 5 days days flew by, with Lily and James spending every moment together since they were the only students who had stayed for Christmas Vacation.  
  
So, 3 days after everyone had left Hogwarts for their vacation, Lily and James were sprawled out on the floor, staring at the ceiling.  
  
Lily was comfortable in black lycra pants that emphasized her figure, and a light pink cropped t-shirt that said Cutie on it in shiny silver letters.  
  
"Hey, Sirius told me a great pick up line, wanna hear it?" James asked, out of the blue.  
  
"Sure why not." Lily replied, yawning after a long day a pranking and joking with James...it had been a blast. Pranks had been an every day ordeal.  
  
"Do you happen to have a mirror in your pocket? Cause I can see myself in your pants." James said, holding back a grin.  
  
Lily burst out laughing.  
  
"Thats terrible! If any guy said that to me seriously, I'd probably slap them."   
  
"Poor guy. Are you that mean to all guys?" James asked, rolling over onto his stomach and looking at her.  
  
"Hmm...no just you." she said, after pondering it for a moment.  
  
"Oh I feel special." he said sarcastically.  
  
"You should." she said, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger absentmindedly.  
  
"I am going to bed." he announced.  
  
"Goodnight. And, er, thanks for keeping me entertained today." Lily said awkwardly.  
  
James grinned at her and said goodnight, disappearing into his dorm.  
  
The next afternoon, the two had run out of things to do. Lily was desperate. She was willing to try ANYTHING.  
  
"What do you wanna do?" James asked, picking at the carpet.  
  
"I wanna go outside. Wanna teach me how to fly?" she asked, her stomach fluttering with excitement and fear.  
  
James grinned widely.  
  
"Yeah! You can use my broom." he said, grabbing her hand and hurrying out onto the Quidditch Pitch, which was, at the moment, covered in snow.  
  
"Crap. Accio Numbus 901." he said, and after a moment, his broom flew into his outstretched hand.  
  
He dropped it on the ground and told her to get it up.  
  
"Up." she said, and the broom flew into her hand.  
  
James grinned.  
  
"I think my broom likes you. It wouldn't even come up for Sirius...and he's the best beater we've had in years." he said, laughing.  
  
"I feel soooo special." she said sarcastically, eyes twinkling with delight.  
  
"Ok you grab onto it like this." he said, showing her how evenly his hands were spaced and just where to put them.  
  
Lily tried, failing miserably.  
  
James took her hands and positioned them correctly on the broom.  
  
Her stomach fluttered.  
  
"Shit. Accio Cleansweep." he said, and one of the school brooms flew into his hands.  
  
He mounted up expertly, and demonstrated to her how to kick off.  
  
"You ready to try it on your own?" he asked after showing her 3 times.  
  
"I think so." she said, concentrating hard on what she was about to do.  
  
"I'll go up with you on the count of three." he said. She nodded.  
  
"One. Two. THREE." he said, and they both kicked off, Lily not doing too bad for her first time. (she had been "sick" during flying lessons in their first year)  
  
"Holy Crap." she shrieked.  
  
James grinned at her.  
  
"You're doing great, just lean more when you want to turn, and don't be so tense." he said, the wind making it hard for her to hear him.  
  
She nodded and did as she was instructed.  
  
After another half an hour of flying, they both landed (Lily somewhat awkwardly).  
  
"What a rush!" Lily said excitedly, cheeks flushed from the wind and cold, eyes glittering brightly.  
  
To James, she had never looked so beautiful.  
  
The next morning, Lily and James, having nothing to do, decided to go on a walk on the grounds.  
  
As they trudged through the snow, Lily's eyes took on a devilish gleam.  
  
She picked up a handful of snow, packed it into a snowball, and lobbed it at him, hitting him right in the back of the head.  
  
She snorted with laughter.  
  
"Hey!" James said, laughing as he made his own snowball and threw it at her.  
  
Soon a snowball fight had broken out, both participants laughing uncontrollably.  
  
Lily scooped up one last handful and was about to throw it, when James grabbed her around the waist. They both fell into the snow, still laughing.  
  
Somehow, James had ended up on top, and he gazed down at her with laughing brown eyes.  
  
She looked back up at him, in a way she never had before...almost longingly.  
  
Without thinking, he leaned down and kissed her gently.  
  
Her eyes widened and she almost pulled back in surprise.  
  
Soon, it was James' turn to be surprised, because she had wrapped her arms around his neck and was kissing him back.  
  
Lily had always thought that James' kissed would be all tongue, but that wasn't it. It was so gentle, and sweet, and...she melted in his arms.  
  
A few minutes later, he pulled back to catch his breath.  
  
He grinned at her, and she found herself smiling back.  
  
Lily shivered. Now that the warmth of James' body was gone, she was freezing.  
  
"I say we go into the warm castle to continue, I'm freezing." James said, standing up, holding out his hand and helping her up.  
  
Lily accepted his hand, and they walked, side by side, back to the castle.  
  
The rest of the evening they played Exploding Snap and shared childhood prank stories.  
  
Lily went to bed rather early, being exhausted from the Snowball Fight.   
  
The next morning however, she woke up bright and early, wondering if James would ever kiss her like that again.  
  
Lily busied herself with pulling out her Transfiguration homework and starting in on it.   
  
James did the same.  
  
"I'm bored." he said after 5 minutes, snapping his book shut.  
  
She looked up, amused.  
  
"Short attention span." she commented before turning back to her book.  
  
James came around and looked over her shoulder.  
  
"You've got a lot done." he said, not really paying attention to the paper.  
  
"I guess..." she said, trailing off as he kissed her neck.  
  
He turned her chair towards him and kissed her.  
  
After a moment, Lily pulled back and looked at him.  
  
"I never ever ever thought I would be kissing you." she said, quill still in hand.  
  
"I kind of hoped that someday I would get to kiss you." James said sheepishly.  
  
"Really?" Lily asked, surprised.  
  
James silenced her with another kiss, before taking her hand and leading her over to the couch. (A/N NO they are not going to do anything NASTY, and NO they are not going to make out)  
  
Lily plopped herself down, watching as he sprawled himself in a bean bag chair, his long legs stretched out in front of him casually.  
  
"So why didn't you go home for the holidays?" James asked, putting his arms behind his head.  
  
"My sister." Lily said simply.  
  
"Would you care to elaborate?" James asked, eyes twinkling.  
  
"Oh. Yeah. Well...see me and my sister don't get along very well. She um, sort of thinks I'm a freak. She calls me ugly alll the time, but see, shes really the one thats ugly." Lily said in a rush, wondering why she was telling James Potter this.  
  
"You? Ugly?" James laughed. "I've thought you were gorgeous since the day I met you."   
  
"Liar." Lily said, grinning.  
  
"No. I'm serious. Not that I would ever ADMIT that...it was just your attitude." he assured her.  
  
"I have a picture of her in my room if you want to see her." Lily said, getting up and crossing the room to the door.  
  
"I'll come with you." he said, standing up and following her into her dorm room.  
  
Lily's side of the room was immaculate. She had painted the walls a pale yellow (against school rules) and had a blue and yellow flowered border going around her side. Her bedspread was light blue with a large yellow Lily in the center, and she had a pale yellow shaggy rug at the foot of her bed. All of her throw pillows were yellow, and she had a yellow lamp with small Lily's embroidered in the lamp shade.  
  
James took it all in as if for the first time. This WAS the first time she had willingly let him in her room, so he could take his time looking at it.  
  
She rummaged through her trunk and produced a photo album.  
  
She flipped it open to the first page and she motioned for James to come see.  
  
He peered at the picture.  
  
A tall, willowy horse faced girl was in the picture. She had strawlike blonde hair and eyes of the palest gray. She had an abnormally long neck, and she looked more like a scare crow than a human.  
  
"Whoa. You sure got the looks of the family." James said, laughing.  
  
Lily grinned.  
  
James flipped the page.  
  
"Who's that?" he asked, pointing to a tall beautiful woman with red hair and green eyes.  
  
"Oh. Thats my mum." Lily said proudly looking at the photo album over his shoulder.  
  
Soon she was seated next to him on the bed, and she was telling him all about her childhood and how bad it had been growing up with Petunia.  
  
"With a sister like that, you're lucky you turned out as normal as you did. That is, if you call yourself normal." James said, dodging a playful swat from Lily.  
  
"You're the first person besides Kathryn that I have told this to. You of all people." Lily said, shaking her head ruefully.  
  
"Hey now. I'm perfectly trustworthy thank you very much." he protested, laughing.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"We'll see." she said, laughing.  
  
The next morning, Lily rapped on James' door loudly.   
  
He answered in his boxers, eyes bleary, and hair even messier then usual.  
  
"Lets go eat. I'm starving." Lily said casually.  
  
James stared at her for a moment, shook his head with a sleepy smile, and threw a pair of robes on. He would shower after breakfast.  
  
James headed for the door, obviously hungry too.  
  
"We're the only people staying here for Christmas break. Don't you feel just privileged?" Lily asked sarcastically as they entered the Great Hall, which was empty save the teachers.  
  
James grinned and tickled Lily playfully.  
  
She giggled and turned around to face him. He put his arms around her waist and she put her arms around his neck, marveling at how much change 10 days had had in their relationship. She half hoped that this would last...that it wouldn't just be another one of the one week flings that James was famous for.  
  
Normally the teachers wouldn't allow students to have their arms around each other in the school, but seeing as it was Lily and James...the couple that they had wanted to get together so badly, they decided that they would just let it pass.  
  
Lily brushed a stray tendril of hair out of his eyes and gazed up at him.  
  
He looked down at her seriously, frowning in thought.  
  
"Whats gonna happen when all the other students come back?" he asked quietly.  
  
Lily bit her lip.  
  
"I don't know. All I do know is I'm having fun." she replied seriously.  
  
James kissed her nose, his face clearing as he smiled at her.  
  
Lily had never seen James look at someone like that, and she liked it.   
  
They sat across from each other at the Gryffindor Table, eating in silence for a few minutes.  
  
"I wonder what Kathryn is doing.

  
" Lily said almost sadly.  
"Probably eating breakfast with her family." James said, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Yeah. If it weren't for Petunia, I would be too." she replied wistfully.  
  
"Ohhhh so I'm not enough entertainment huh?" James asked playfully.  
  
"Oh shut up." Lily giggled, smacking his arm lightly.  
  
"But seriously, they're probably wishing you were home right now too. All except for Petunia...but she's Petunia." James finished.  
  


> After they both finished their food, they stood up and walked back to the Common Room.  
  
"I am out of ideas. So its your turn, Miss Evans, what would YOU like to do?" James asked, sprawling himself out on the couch in front of the fire.  
  
"First, I am going to go take a shower." Lily said, towel in hand, heading for the girls showers.  
  
James grabbed his towel and headed into the boys showers.  
  
When she was done, Lily pulled on a pair of baby blue robes that said Angel across the chest in flashy rhinestones. She then brushed out her long blonde hair and let it fall elegantly down her back. She put in a pair of large silver hoop earrings and slipped on a pair of black chunky sandals, that had several crisscrossing straps...they made her 3 inches taller, but they were comfy, so she didn't care.  
  
By the time she was done, James was already sitting at the table doing homework with wet hair.  
  
Lily sat down in the chair across from him and began pulling books out of her bag, cursing Silvernoggle's name as she started her Potions Essay.  
  
3_ days until everyone comes back. Whats going to happen? _Lily thought, looking at James, watching how is hair fell over his eye when he was bent over like that. He was so cute!  
  
"I don't work real well when people stare at me." James said, still looking at his paper.  
  
Lily blushed. She could tell from his voice that he was smiling.  
  
"How'd you know?"   
  
He shrugged.  
  


  
There was a rush of noise at the portrait hole, and Lily and James jumped up to investigate.  
Sirius, Remus, Kathryn, and Ella charged in, bags in hand, laughing and yelling.  
  
"What are you doing back early?!" James and Lily asked, almost panickingly.  
  
"Is it just me, or do they sound disappointed?" Sirius asked, laughing as Kathryn smacked him.  
  
Lily and James glanced at each other...that once glance and they vowed not to tell their friends.  
  
"Why the heck would I be disappointed? Evans? Ha." James said arrogantly, punching Sirius in the shoulder as a hello.  
  
"Potter's a loser! The day I like him is the day I learn to fly on a broom." Lily said, winking at James.  
  
"Yeah, like THAT'LL ever happen." Kathryn giggled.  
  
"I'm gonna go unpack." Kathryn announced. "Lily you gonna come with?"  
  
Lily unwillingly glanced at James.  
  
"Yeah...sure!" she exclaimed with false enthusiasm.  
  
Her friends looked at her funny.  
  
"Erm...the breakfast this morning really upset my stomach." she mumbled, rushing up the stairs after Kathryn.  
  
"How was break?" Kathryn asked, emptying her suitcase onto her bed.  
  
"Oh...it was grea---it sucked big time." Lily lied.  
  
"Figures. What could be FUN with Potter and you." Kathryn said, laughing.  
  
"Yeah. What could be fun." Lily replied weakly.  
  
3 days later, all the other students returned to Hogwarts and it was life as usual. Well, not for Lily and James.  
  
At potions on their first day back, Kathryn and Sirius picked each other for their partners.  
  
"Who am I gonna be partners with?" James asked, sighing as he saw that Ella snagged Remus for a partner.  
  
"I guess I'm stuck with Potter." Lily said half heartedly, secretly elated that she would get to talk to him.  
  
They both acted disgusted, but James winked at her and walked over to his cauldron, Lily at his heels.  
  
"So, whats up?" James asked, noticing that, thankfully, Kathryn, Sirius, Remus, and Ella were on the other side of the room.  
  
"Not much. This really sucks--could you pass me the frog spawn please?" she asked, holding out her hand.  
  
James grabbed her hand and kissed her quickly on the cheek, flashing her a grin as he grabbed the frogspawn.  
  
Lily smiled up at him, before they both quickly glanced around the room to make sure no one had seen them.  
  
They both looked at each other and burst out laughing.  
  
"This is ridiculous." she said when she had recovered.  
  
"So, lets tell them." James said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"But Ella likes you. I can't do that to her." Lily mumbled.  
  
"Oh, like she has never done anything mean to you? And who wouldn't like me? Whats not to like?" he asked, grinning.  
  
"You're terrible." Lily said, giggling.  
  
"If you're done flirting now, you would notice that your cauldron is about to bubble over." Professor Silvernoggle said loudly, so the whole class could hear.  
  
The pair froze.  
  
James recovered first.  
  
"Shit. Look at the mess you made Evans!" he exclaimed "angrily". He was very convincing.  
  
"Oh, yeah, the mess _I _made. You're the one who was too busy flinging rubber binders at me to notice the cauldron!" Lily shot back, also convincing.  
  
"Yeah? Well whats you're excuse?! You were just sitting there! You should have noticed it! Jeeze you're dumb." James said, shaking his head angrily.  
  
"I was too busy blocking rubber bands!" Lily said, throwing a beetle at him.  
  
"You call that flirting Silvernoggle?! I think you need to get your ears checked." Sirius shouted from across the room, making everyone laugh.  
  
Lily and James breathed a silent sigh of relief.  
  
The bell rang, and as Lily was hurrying through the door, James whispered in her ear.  
  
"3:00 in the morning, meet me at the astronomy tower." he said quietly, before hurrying ahead of her.  
  
The rest of the day flew by, and that night, at 2:50, Lily snuck out of her dorm in her pajamas (a pair of baggy purple plaid pajama pants that tied at the waist, and a light purple tank top, and a really thick baby blue cloak over it all, as it was January), and up to the astronomy tower, wondering WHY she was doing this. It was so illegal that she shuddered to think what would happen if they got caught.  
  
"Psst." someone hissed.  
  
She frozed, heart beating quickly, thinking she'd been caught.  
  
"Its me." James' voice said quietly, tugging her in to a sheltered corner.  
  
"You almost gave me a heart attack." she mumbled.  
  
"I can tell." he said. Lily could tell by his voice that he was smiling.  
  
He led her over to the corner, where an overhang would shelter them from the wind.  
  
"So, what was so important that you had to deprive me of my beauty sleep and drag me out into the freezing cold?" she asked sarcastically.  
  
"Well, being rude to you for 3 days doesn't really agree with me now. So I had to haul you out here so I can talk to you like I want to, and look at you without being watched by Sirius." James said, settling back against the wall.  
  
Lily settled back against the wall too, and they started to talk easily, both very content.  
  
Eventually talk dwindled, and they sat there in companionable silence.  
  
"Sirius was asking me why I haven't had a girlfriend lately. I think he's getting worried." James said softly.  
  
"Maybe he'll think you're gay." Lily said, giggling.  
  
James laughed.  
  
"No, sorry, I'm about as straight as they come. But seriously, Sirius was wondering what was up with me. And honestly, I think he'd be the first to find out." James said.  
  
Lily made an impatient sound.  
  
"Find out about WHAT?! That we kissed? Twice? That we're friends? James theres nothing going on between us, no matter how much we wish there was. We're being so stupid. We should just TELL THEM so that we can be together. This is stupid and dumb, and our fights are getting REALLY lame." Lily rambled.  
  
James laughed quietly. "No kidding, you called me a loser today. That hurts." he said sarcastically.  
  
Lily giggled and shrugged her shoulders, as if she could do no better.  
  
"You're so cute." she said, kissing him quickly on the cheek.  
  
James pulled her closer, and she layed her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Should we at least tell Sirius?" Lily asked softly.  
  
"Tell me what?" came Sirius' voice.  
  
A/N heeheehee I am truly evil. you must forgive me though, and please review. I wish I was good at writing like cassandra claire...all I can seem to write is plotless fluff, and this is my very first fic with a semi plot. lol. ok so please review and the next part will be out sometime next week.


	4. Trapped

This is the last installment, because now that they're together, its mushy and terrible and I hate it. I like it when they hate each other, yet I want them to be together too, but see that doesn't work. So. Here it is. The LAST chapter of the fic.  
  
  
  
  
James and Lily stood up as fast as they could.  
  
"Sirius---"  
  
"What is going on?" Sirius asked, cutting Lily and James off.  
  
"Nothing." they both said.  
  
"Thats obviously a lie, because you were both sitting there next to each other, getting along." Sirius said, hurt and angry at the same time.  
  
"Sirius! Lily and I...over break...we got to liking each other I guess--"   
  
"NO James, not with Lily. I'm not gonna let you walk all over her. She's not gonna be your flavor of the week, got it?" Sirius asked, almost shouting.  
  
Lily glared at Sirius, so mad she couldn't talk, and she fled down to her dorm.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Its none of your business!" James yelled, watching Lily go in dismay.  
  
"Yes it is. When one of my best friends is involved, its my business." Sirius said, glaring at James.  
  
"You don't even know whats going on! I can't believe you!" James shouted, before turning on his heel and running after Lily.  
  
He caught up with her quickly, as she was just walking.  
  
"WHAT do you WANT?" she asked angrily, teeth clenched.  
  
"He doesn't know what the hell he's talking about Lil. Trust me ok? Its not like that." he said softly.  
  
"I trust you." she said softly.  
  
"Everyone will know by morning. Stick it out and ignore them ok?" he said nervously.  
  
"Only if you're with me." she said, wringing her hands together.  
  
The next morning, Lily walked out of her dorm to stares of disbelief and amusement. Several people yelled "I KNEW YOU'D GET TOGETHER!"  
  
Lily shook her head in disgust.  
  
She pulled her burgundy robes closer around her body and waited at the boy's dormitory stairs for James to come down.  
  
He came down looking very calm, almost bouncy even.  
  
Lily could tell it was an act, though no one else could.  
  
He hurried over to her and kissed her quickly.  
  
Several people whistled and hollered.  
  
"What's your problem? Never seen anyone kiss before?" James asked, smiling crookedly.  
  
Lily put her hand in his, and they walked down to the Great Hall, content, happy even, that they could do so without people freaking out. Though some people still did...  
  
They sat down next to each other at the table, across from a silent Sirius, and a very very very curious Kathryn.  
  
"So when did you two get to be friends? When did you start going out? Why didn't you tell me? What is going on?" Kathryn asked hurriedly.  
  
"Ummm we got to be friends when you guys were on break. I dunno if we're even going out. I didn't tell you because I KNEW you'd tell Ella and Ella would be pissed...which is why she is not sitting with us right now. I don't even know whats going on, so don't ask me." Lily replied patiently, digging into her breakfast.  
  
"Thats so cool!" Kathryn exclaimed breathlessly.  
  
"You're not mad that I didn't tell you?" Lily asked curiously.  
  
"No! Of course not! You would have told me when you were ready. Sirius is kind of peeved aren't you Si? But he'll be ok. I know he won't mess with you Lil because he'd have to face Remus, Sirius, AND me." Kathryn said, almost bubbling over with excitement.  
  
"Kathryn you're the coolest!" Lily exclaimed, hugging her friend while Sirius rolled his eyes but couldn't help himself from grinning.  
  
"Sirius. I bet you $50 galleons that I really mean it this time." James said, holding out his hand.  
  
Sirius took his hand and shook it, going back to normal at once.  
  
Lily and Kathryn bent their heads close together.  
  
"Have you kissed?" Kathryn asked excitedly.  
  
"Yeah, besides this morning you mean? Yeah. " Lily whispered back.  
  
"Is he a good kisser?" she asked, giggling quietly.  
  
"Yeah. Not at all like I thought he would be though." Lily replied, starting to giggle herself.  
  
"Has he asked you to the Valentine's Day dance yet?" Kathryn asked, taking note that today was January 25th and the dance was on February 14th.  
  
"No not yet. I don't even know if he will. Everyone has been looking at us weird, so he might not just so he can avoid being stared at even more." Lily replied solemnly.  
  
"Ella was so peeved she actually started CRYING this morning. I couldn't believe it! She hardly ever cries!" Kathryn exclaimed in a loud whisper, brushing her chocolate brown hair out of her dark eyes.  
  
"I feel terrible." Lily said sadly, mentally kicking herself.  
  
"Don't feel terrible. She never would have gotten him anyway! He doesn't even like her as a FRIEND, much less as a girlfriend." Kathryn replied reassuringly.  
  
"True. But I still feel bad. But hey, at least I got her off my back for a while about not having a boyfriend. She thought I was stupid for waiting for the right guy. What a ditz." Lily whispered quietly.  
  
"No kidding. I'm embarassed that I am related to her! All she cares about is looks and boys and she talks like a total valley girl." Kathryn replied, turning back to her food and talking in her regular voice.  
  
"Has Sirius asked you to the dance yet?" Lily asked Kathryn loud enough that Sirius could hear.  
  
"No. I wonder who I should say yes to. I've gotten asked by a lot of people." Kathryn said, playing along.  
  
"Oh me too. Davies, Richards, Pettigrew *shudder*, Snape *shudder* and get this, Lucius Malfoy! I'm thinking either Davies or Richards, what do you think?" Lily asked, grinning devilishly.  
  
"Hmm Davies definitely. He's so cute! Have you seen his Quidditch muscles?!" Kathryn asked excitedly.  
  
"OK OK OK Kathryn you're going with me." Sirius said, breaking in with an odd look on his face.  
  
"Well, if you insist." Kathryn replied, grinning.  
  
"Seriously Davies though? Richards has nice muscles too, AND he's nice." Lily said, refraining herself from looking at James.  
  
"Really? I don't know him that well. What's he like?" Kathryn asked, a mischievious twinkle in her eye.  
  
"Oh, well, he's hot, obviously, and he is so sweet and funny and cool and popular and *sigh* the smile. The smile gets me every time he looks at me. My knees turn to jelly and--"  
  
"ALRIGHT! ENOUGH! Lily, you're coming with me no questions asked." James said, interupting them with a panicked look on his face.  
  
"Alright then." Lily replied, glancing at him quickly before turning back to her friend and giggling like mad.  
  
"Oh that Potter..." Kathryn started.  
  
"He's got some nice muscles himself doesn't he?" Lily put in, knowing that James was listening intently.  
  
"On a scale of one to ten what would you give him?" Kathryn asked.  
  
Lily turned around and eyed James critically.  
  
"Hmm I'd give him a 9.5. He would have gotten a ten, but the hair..." she said, grinning.  
  
Kathryn laughed and James made a face, but his eyes twinkled merrily.  
  
"Come on Kath, we've got double Potions to get ready for." Lily said, gesturing out of the Great Hall.   
  
Kathryn stood up and followed her friend up to their dorms to finish getting ready.  
  
Lily combed her long blonde hair into a messy bun at the back of her head, and soon she was ready to head to classes.  
  
Kathryn and Lily sat right down next to each other in Potions, as usual...but since Ella was pissed off at Lily at the moment, the spot to Lily's left was open.  
  
James plopped down next to her, Sirius next to him, and Remus at the end.  
  
"Hey bug, whats up?" James asked, calling her by the nickname he had used on her since their 1st year.  
  
"Not much. Did you study for the Semester final in here?" Lily asked, pulling at the hem of her burgundy robes.  
  
"Nope. I'll flunk but thats ok." James replied casually.  
  
Lily snorted with laughter.  
  
"You? Flunk? Yeah right. You NEVER turn in homework, yet you get the second highest marks. I have the highest of course." she said proudly, rubbing it in gleefully.  
  
"Ah shut up. But see, you CARE about your grades...I don't. " James replied carelessly.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"Lily, Silvernoggle looks pissed. Do you think she found our little surprise?" Kathryn whispered, giggling like mad.  
  
Lily's eyes lit up.  
  
"Possibly...oh wow this'll be great." Lily said, giggling too.  
  
"HEY, PROFESSOR! Come here for a sec!" Kathryn shouted, waving the teacher over.  
  
Silvernoggle walked over and frowned at them.  
  
"How are you this fine morning?" Lily asked, hiding a grin.  
  
" inefe' owhe' reae' ouye'?" she asked, horrified at what came out od her mouth.  
  
"Oh my. Is that, is that Pig Latin you're speaking?" Kathryn asked seriously, her eyes twinkling with amusement.  
  
"Ie' elievebe' tie' sie' " Silvernoggle said angrily.  
  
Kathryn and Lily burst out in giggles, and soon they had the whole class roaring with laughter.  
  
Pleased with themselves, Kathryn and Lily turned Silvernoggle back to normal silently, so that the teacher did not know who had done it.  
  
Over the next three weeks, Kathryn and Lily established themselves as the best team of pranksters to ever reach Hogwarts...aside from the Marauders.  
  
Over the next weeks also, James and Lily had a falling out. Lily couldn't take the stares or the whispers anymore, so she had suggested they end it, even though inside she was tearing herself up.  
  
James had grown angry because inside he was hurting, and he had said some things that she could not forgive him for. At least not now. Not yet.  
  
All too soon, the Valentine's Day Dance came. Lily was still going with James, but this was to be their last "date" together, and Lily was not looking forward to it at all.  
  
Lily and Kathryn were in their bathroom holding up different dress robes to themselves to see which color would go best.  
  
"I think I am going to do Magenta today...since its a shade of pink for Valentine's day." Lily said, eyes narrowed in concentration as she held up the silk robes to herself.  
  
"With your normal red hair, that would look awful." Ella commented, still pouting about James.  
  
"I know it would have. But I'm not a redhead am I?" Lily sniped back.  
  
Ella frowned.  
  
Lily slipped into her magenta robes and pulled on her strappy, chunky heeled, magenta shoes to go with it. Her nails were coated with some pink glitter nailpolish, and her blonde hair was piled elegantly on top of her head.  
  
Kathryn had settled for some nice red dress robes, that brought out her highlights nicely. She had matching shoes, and she had left her hair down.  
  
There was a knock on their bedroom door and Lily muttered a swear word under her breath as she hurriedly applied lip gloss and some shimmery eye powder.  
  
She checked herself in the mirror one last time, slipped the lipgloss into her handbag, checked to make sure she had everything, then hurried out to meet the guys.  
  
James' face lit up when he saw her, but a sad look replaced it, and he held out his arm like a gentleman.  
  
"I have the most beautiful date at the dance tonight." he whispered in her ear.  
  
Lily just said hello, much as an aquaintance would, before accepting his arm and walking slowly after Sirius and Kathryn.  
  
"Just so you know, in case you've forgotten, I am a terrible dancer." James said, in a weak attempt at humor as they entered the Great Hall, which was already full of dancing couples.  
  
"I haven't forgotten." she replied rather coldly.  
  
James ignored the comment asked her to dance and she accepted.  
  
The first song went by slowly, so slowly that Lily was ready to just leave. She wasn't having a good time, and she was afraid to look at James because looking at him would make her cry.  
  
"Lily...I'm sorry ok?!" James said exasperatedly for the hundredth time.  
  
"Is it your main goal to make me cry at every dance we go to together?" Lily asked, a tear spilling over onto her cheek.  
  
"Of course not. Look, I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry. I really am." James said sincerely.  
  
Lily looked up, not caring who heard or who saw that she was crying.  
  
"You don't get it. I can't just say "oh thats ok, forget about it" because i CAN'T forget about it and I WON'T. Just...just leave me alone ok? I shouldn't have let Kathryn talk me into coming here. I'm not having a good time at all and I just want out." Lily said brusquely, picking up the hem of her skirt and hurrying out of the hall.  
  
Kathryn saw her best friend running out and she took off at a sprint after her.  
  
"LILY!!! Lily you can't let everyone else get to you. You can't. It'll ruin what you and James have and you know it." Kathryn said breathlessly when she had caught up to Lily.  
  
"Oh Kathryn, you don't understand." Lily wailed.  
  
"NO I don't. I don't understand why you're throwing this away. Come on, I have something to do." kathryn said, grabbing her friends hand and hurrying back to the Great Hall.  
  
She hurried up to the band, grabbed one of the mics from the singers and shut off the backround music.  
  
"Ok. Ok. Listen up." she said impatiently.  
  
Everyone looked up, startled.  
  
"You're all pathetic. Thats what I think of all of you. Pathetic losers who can't accept change without whispering and sneering at it. I just wanted to let you all know, that because of your bloody sneering and whispering, you've ruined one of the most special things in my best friends life...her relationship with her boyfriend. I hope that all of you are happy now, and I only wish you could BEGIN to comprehend how disgusted I am with all of you." she said angrily, before throwing the microphone onto the floor and stalking off.  
  
Everyone sat in stunned silence for a moment, before they started to shuffle around guiltily and stare at their feet.  
  
Lily saw James hurry out of Hogwarts...into the pouring rain and darkness.  
  
Once again, she fled the Great Hall, but this time because she wanted to find James, not run away from him.  
  
"James! JAMES!!!" Lily shouted into the darkness, before seeing a glint of silver that she knew were his glasses heading towards the lake.  
  
"James PLEASE!!!! PLEASE WAIT!!!" she yelled, crying and yelling at the same time, and sounding so pathetic and wounded that James slowed down, wanting to go back to her.  
  
"James!!! Please, just hear me out!" she shouted across the green, still running up to his now still form.  
  
"What?" he asked angrily...or what he thought was angrily.  
  
"I'm sorry." she said softly.  
  
Standing there, soaking wet, James thought she had never looked more beautiful.  
  
He took her in his arms and held her tightly, kissing her head.  
  
She was shaking from the cold, but she didn't care, James pulled her towards him, and suddenly she was warm, the only feeling was the feel of his lips on hers.  
  
And suddenly she knew. This was where she belonged.  



End file.
